A Mother's Love
by RunFromTheMedic
Summary: After running for her life, Rowan finds the newly mutated turtles and Splinter. Unwilling to leave the infant turtles, and not having anywhere else to go, she stays and becomes their mother figure. My version of the 2003 series with the turtles having a mom. Goes episode by episode. I do now own TMNT (yet) or the songs. Just Rowan.
1. Welcome to Motherhood

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Motherhood**

Rain pelted the concrete and asphalt of New York while thunder boomed with a vengeance from above. Lightening illuminated the dark city, giving the young girl who pounded her way blindly through the streets and alleys a chance to get her bearings. Her body ached and screamed with pain from the beating her thin frame had been forced to endure, but she thought nothing of it, completely refused to feel anything until she was safe. With a fearful glance behind her, she ran faster as she caught a glimpse of the Purple Dragons that gave chase.

_Oh God oh God oh God. Why did I have to run into them?! Why do people __**enjoy**__ beating me up?_

When her thoughts stuck on that one question, she thought back to the events that evidently led her to her current situation. _Damn that stupid dog_ she thought viciously. Rowan Mathews had endured a lot in her barely thirteen years of living, and it was all mostly because of one damn dog.

Everything had been okay until she had turned five, or at least better than they were going to get. Her father was a drunk and a gambler, but her mother was sweet and her older brother protective and caring. It almost made up for the heavy hand her father had on all of them, but especially on her. He couldn't believe that a small and frail looking girl had come from his loins, and made his disapproval clear with every look, every slap, and every bottle he sent in her direction. When she turned five, she started talking, making opinions of her own. That set him off even more.

_Women are supposed to be submissive! Quiet! _ She could all but here the rant in her head, along with the snap of a Sam Brown belt. _How many times does it take to beat it into that head of yours?_

Next to him was always this dog that followed him around. He was afraid of the spine crackers the mafia would send to try to send to collect on his gambling debts, so he made sure that the dog was a mean brute. Large, black, with teeth and bark big enough to send the toughest men back in wariness.

It was his bark that alerted the mafia of what room they were hiding in before they shot up the house and set it on fire. She had survived by hiding behind her mother's prized armoire, where she had been found by the firefighters an hour later.

So at the age of ten, she was thrown into the first orphanage that would take her. In way, it was better than her old life. The man in charge wasn't mean, though he was indifferent most of the time. But he made sure all the kids had food and clothes, though there was little left for much else. Protection money had to be paid to the Purple Dragons, and the price was high.

For the next two years she played the role of a mother hen. As the oldest girl, she didn't have much choice but to raise the younger kids. The twin boys that were older than her helped her keep them in line and away from the Purple Dragons that tended to come to the front gate. The three of them got beaten up more times than they could count for interfering with the Dragons' recruitment work.

A couple of days after she turned thirteen the price for the protection money went through the roof, and the orphanage went bankrupt trying to meet it. In the end, it was just too high to pay.

The smaller kids were all adopted off quickly, leaving only herself and the twins. They were the only ones in the building when the Purple Dragons came and set the place on fire.

They were on the second floor so it took time for them to escape the building. When they managed to stumble outside, singed and gasping from the smoke, they were easily spotted by the Purple Dragons. The really big one with blonde hair and claw marks on his face looked at them in annoyance before motioning for two of the others to kill them, probably as a warning to the other orphanages in the area.

The three of them had gotten the shit beat out of them before the twins managed to take them down. Hauling her up, the three of them ran together for nearly four blocks before they heard the Dragons gaining on them. Apparently it is not appreciated among men to be kick were the sun don't shine.

Wishing each other luck, they split up. Now here she was, running for her life when she could barely see or feel her limbs.

When she heard the rev of a motorcycle over the thunder, the fear she felt doubled. Searching desperately for a place to hide, she nearly cried in relief when the lightening illuminated one of the open drains in the sidewalk. Calculating the distance when the world once again went dark, she threw herself down it, ignoring how the concrete tore and scrapped her already battered body.

Jumping down a drain in the middle of a huge thunder storm probably wasn't her best idea. The flood water had her as soon as she landed. The strong current swept her through the sewers, banging her against debris and the concrete walls before she finally grabbed hold of a ladder. The force of the current nearly pulled her arms from their sockets.

Hauling herself out, she lay choking and gasping on the walkway. Closing her eyes, she let herself give in and be exactly was she was. Cold, hurt, and terrified. Knowing it wouldn't get her anywhere, she didn't let it last long. Forcing herself up, she stumbled away from the flood waters and through a series of sewer tunnels in an attempt to find a dry place to sleep.

After what felt like an eternity, unwilling to go any farther, she slumped down against the tunnel wall, curling into herself for warmth. Staring blankly at nothing, she tried to decide what to do. She couldn't go back to the orphanage, seeing as it was charcoal despite the pouring rain. The hospital was out. The only people she would've gone to for help split up with her about ten blocks ago, so they weren't an option anymore. Purple Dragons were everywhere in the city, and at this point, she was just sick of humanity altogether.

A sound coming from the tunnel across from her had her head snapping up. It sounded like a baby crying. Unable to ignore it, though she was certain she was hearing things, she painfully hauled herself up and stumbled down the tunnel. She would've missed the small opening hidden behind a wall of debris if it hadn't been for the shrill scream and crying that seemed to get louder.

Forced to use the walls for support, she moved down the tunnel until she came to a small room. Looking for the source of the crying, she stopped short at what she found.

Four baby turtles, slightly smaller than a normal human new born, sat close together on the floor in a pile of blankets. Two of them were crying their eyes out while the other two whimpered. The thunder could be heard down here, and with every boom the crying got louder while the others got closer to tears.

Moving automatically, she knelt besides them and used the blankets to dry their faces, murmuring soothingly all the while.

"Shh Shh. Hush now little ones. It's all right. It's only a storm." Grateful for the comfort, all four of them clung to her without hesitation, making her injuries flare with pain.

Taking deep breaths, she forced herself not to stiffen up. As carefully as she could, she pried them off her legs. Settling them down, she covered them with the blankets. Four large pairs of tear filled eyes stared up at her, making her smile and gently rub their shells and heads.

"You don't have to be scared of a storm." She cooed to them. "It will be gone in the morning."

Gently, she raised the head of the olive green one until he was no longer curled into a tight, shaky ball. Bending down to place her forehead against his let her know that her ribs were probably broken, but she didn't let it show. Nuzzling the little turtle softly had wet strands of hair tickling his face, making him giggle. Despite her split lip, she smiled, rubbing her nose one last time on his…beak?

"Little ones like you shouldn't be awake at this time of night, storm or no." she murmured. "It's time for bed." They seemed to recognize that word, because they snuggled deeper into the blankets, careful to keep in contact with her.

Another boom of thunder had them whimpering again. Rubbing their shells in turn, she softly began to sing.

**Little child, be not afraid  
The rain pounds harsh against the glass  
Like an unwanted stranger  
There is no danger  
I am here tonight**

**Little child**  
**Be not afraid**  
**Though thunder explodes**  
**And lightning flash**  
**Illuminates your tearstained face**  
**I am here tonight**

**And someday you'll know  
That nature is so  
This same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
And forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you see  
In the morning**

As she sang, the turtles forgot about the thunder. Their eyes got heavy and slowly, one by one, they began to nod off. It was hard not to laugh when one of them got more comfortable by sticking his rump in the air.

**And someday you'll know  
That nature is so  
This same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
And forest and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you see  
In the morning**

Only one of them was still awake at this point, so she sang the rest to him. His big, dark blue eyes stared at her sleepily while his little hand grabbed her long, auburn braid and held it to his face. He didn't seem to mind that it was still wet. Leaning closer to him while caressing his shell, she kept singing.

**For you know, once even I  
Was a little child  
And I was afraid  
But a gentle someone always came  
To dry all my tears  
Trade sweet sleep the fears  
And to give a kiss goodnight**

**Well, now I am grown**  
**And these years have shown**  
**Rain's a part of how life goes**  
**But it's dark and it's late**  
**So I'll hold you and wait**  
**'til your frightened eyes do close**

**And I hope that you'll know  
That nature is so  
This same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
And forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you see  
In the morning**

**Everything's fine in the morning**  
**The rain will be gone in the morning**  
**But I'll still be here in the morning**

He drifted off to sleep just as she sang the last line. Carefully, she tucked the blankets more firmly around all of them. It was cold in the sewers, even if you weren't wet.

Hearing a small noise behind her she turned, careful not to yank her braid out of the little one's hand and wake him up. A couple feet away from her was a large rat wearing what looked like a kimono. She was too exhausted to be afraid, but she shifted to put herself between the sleeping turtles and the rat. The rats eyes softened and he seemed to approve of her actions.

"You got them to sleep with much more ease than I could have." He said quietly, in a thick Japanese accent. She blinked once in surprise, but did nothing else.

"Are they yours?" she whispered. The rat nodded.

"My sons. They don't care for thunder." The look he sent them was full of love and amusement. For some odd reason, Rowan immediately felt self-conscious of how she must look in the rat's eyes.

Her clothes were torn, dirty, and soaking wet. She knew both her eyes were black, and felt the throbbing ache that meant her cheekbone was probably an array of bruises. Blood trickled from her split lip and from the welts on her back and legs. Her arms weren't in much better condition while her ribs were either broken or cracked. She was surprised she hadn't been attacked the minute he found her in the same room as his sons.

"I'm sorry for barging in. I just heard the crying." She mumbled without meeting his eyes. "I'll leave you alone." As quickly as she could without waking up him up, she tried to pry her braid from the turtle's hand. He was having none of it. He rolled so that the braid was underneath him, forcing Rowan to now hunch over to keep her head from hurting.

The rat chuckled and kneeled down across from her.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a while." He said with amusement aimed toward the sleeping turtle. With a more serious expression, he turned back to her.

"You're not afraid of me?" he asked quizzically.

"No." she answered after a moment. She met his eyes briefly before once again lowering them to the floor.

"Why?"

Attempting to find a better angle for her head, she answered truthfully.

"I'm too tired to be scared." She said flatly, no emotion in her voice whatsoever. He considered this for a moment then motioned to the sleeping turtles.

"What of them?" he asked in the same quizzical tone. "Do you fear them?"

"They're babies. Why should I fear them?" she asked, clearly confused. The rat tilted his head to the side.

"They aren't human." He pointed out.

"What difference does that make?" The rat smiled warmly as her, clearly liking her answers.

"My name is Splinter. Hamato Splinter." he introduced with a small bow. After a moment's hesitation, Rowan bowed as well, though somewhat awkwardly with the way she was hunched over.

"My name is Rowan." Was the mumbled reply. They sat in silence after that, simply watching the small turtles twitch in their sleep.

"Do you have a place to stay Rowan?" he asked suddenly. Still refusing to make eye contact, she stared holes in the floor.

"… No." she answered after what felt like forever.

"Would you like to stay here?" he asked, much to her surprise. Whipping her eyes away from the floor, she stared at him in shock. Chuckling at her reaction, he continued. "You were good to my sons." He said simply. "For that I will readily offer a safe place to stay. Besides," he added with some amusement. "You seem to know more about taking care of children than I do. I could use all the help I can get."

Rowan looked down at the children while she considered. Hardly anyone went down into the sewers. She wouldn't have to worry about gangs anymore. She would have a safe place to stay. She watched in amusement as the smallest turtle flipped onto his back, flailed around for a moment, before going back to sleep.

The offer was tempting, incredibly so, but thinking back on her usual luck with homes kept her from immediately taking the offer.

"I don't want to be a burden." She said quietly, once again refusing to meet Splinter's eyes.

"You won't be." Splinter said gently. Almost as an afterthought he added, "I'm sure my sons would enjoy the company."

No matter how hard she tried, the reasons why she shouldn't stay wouldn't come. While she thought, the pain and exhaustion she had been fighting off came back full force. Black swam around the edge of her vision and it was all she could do to stay up right. She didn't really have a choice.

"I'll stay." She mumbled softly. Turning to look Splinter in the eye, she nodded, giving in.

"I'll stay."


	2. Things Change

**Chapter 2: Things Change**

_15 years later…_

The lair was in complete darkness, except for the light of one candle Splinter held in his hand. His eyes were closed, but his ears moved back and forth, locating the movement of everything in the room.

Rowan sat against the wall, dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Her long hair was braided and pinned up on her head, making her thin frame appear to be elegant. And by elegant, the meaning was she looked fragile. The effect was unintentional, but unavoidable. No matter what she did, her appearance was always delicate and fragile looking. It irked her to no end.

She watched her friend Splinter with a mixture of anticipation and enjoyment. The training exercise with her sons was about to begin.

"Now, can you extinguish this flame without revealing yourselves?" Splinter challenged the dark, not bothering to open his eyes.

Splinter quickly flicked the candle up and to his side as something dived towards the candle, coming from the left. The purple banded turtle went crashing to the floor, and his Bo staff skittered away from him.

"Too noisy Donatello." Splinter smiled.

Another form shot out of the darkness, similar to what Donatello did. A pair of nun chucks was swung in an attempt to be a distraction, but it failed. Splinter rose smoothly to his feet, flipping his opponent over his shoulder in the process. The orange banded turtle was sent flying straight into Donatello, knocking him to the floor once again.

"Hey!" Donatello barked at his younger brother. He got a mumbled "sorry" in reply.

"Too clumsy Michelangelo." Splinter kneeled and closed his eyes once again.

Leaning forward, Splinter dodged another attack from the form that had been sneaking up on him from behind, letting his assailant fly over his head to land. Whirling around, the red banded figure narrowed his eyes, bringing the twin sai blades in his hands into position.

Rowan shook her head at her second eldests' rash behavior as Splinter locked eye contact with him, making it obvious he knew where the red banded figure was. She knew he was going to attack, and so did Splinter.

As they predicted, Raphael charged forward, only to be tripped by Splinter's staff. With a startled yelp, he slid into Donatello and Michelangelo, knocking them over like bowling pins. They landed in a groaning heap on the floor.

"Poor choice Raphael." Splinter scolded.

Rowan chuckled in amusement at her sons' discomfort. _Three down, one to go_. She turned her gaze back to the blue banded figure hanging from the ceiling. He had been bidding his time up there since the exercise began. With Splinter's attention fixed on the three piled on the floor, he struck.

With his katana, he cut the candle in half, catching the lit end on the flat of his sword. With a small smile, he blew the candle out, plunging the room into complete darkness.

From her position against the wall, Rowan found the light switch, washing the room with light.

"Well done Leonardo." Congratulated Splinter. Leonardo smirked at his brothers, bouncing the candle up and down in his hand.

"Teachers pet." Raph grumbled under his breath.

"Ninja dropout." Countered Leo. Raph growled and got in his face, both of them ready for a fight.

Rowan and Splinter both sighed. The conflicting personalities of the two oldest had them fighting at least once a day. It was exhausting to watch.

"My sons," Splinter interrupted with a shake of his head. "My sons. If you are to become true ninja, you must work harder."

All four of them quickly scrambled to kneel in from of him as he continued to talk. Rowan walked up to stand just behind Splinter, hands clasped in front of her. Her gentle gaze was encouraging behind Splinter's stern one.

"You path in life will not be an easy one. The outside world will not be a friendly place." He reminded as he gestured towards the ceiling.

"Very few, if any, will be as kind as your mother." The boys nodded their head in understanding of their sensei. Diverting their attention for a moment, they snuck a glance at their mother, grateful that she was there.

"You four are different in ways the surface dwellers would never understand." Splinter continued. Unlike Rowan, he didn't notice the Michelangelo was following the movements of a fly, and was completely distracted.

"To survive, you must master these skills on which I test you. The Ninjitsu art of stealth, and secrecy. You must become Kage, shadow warriors. And you must never be discovered by the outside world-"he was cut off as Michelangelo thrust his hands out, crushing the fly between his palms.

He gave a triumphant "Ha!" before deflating under Splinter's frown and stern gaze. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while his brothers chuckled. Splinter looked over at Rowan who tried her best not to smile. True she was exasperated, but she still found it amusing.

Splinter continued to stare disapprovingly when the ground started to shake. Stumbling to their feet, the boys looked around wide eyed.

"Earthquake!" Mikey yelled over the rumbling.

"In New York?" Donnie questioned. "Possible, but not likely."

Pieces of ceiling rained down around them. The boys circled protectively around their mother while she occasionally yanked them out of the way of the falling concrete.

On the other side of the room, cracks spread up the wall until something burst through. Pushing Rowan behind them, the boys and Splinter readied their weapons…and were dumbfounded when what looked like robotic chickens with oversized heads and teeth stomped through. Some of them began gnawing on the walls.

"What are those things?" Leo yelled, hoping someone had an idea.

"New York City cockroaches?" Mikey called out unhelpfully, a small smile on his face.

"Whatever they are, they picked the wrong party ta crash." Raph growled as he kicked one of them back. Finally taking notice of them, the robots advanced. The boys charged, hacking and swinging at the metal robots.

Rowan had grabbed one of the boy's practice swords and was using it like a baseball bat on every robot that came near her with Splinter backing her up.

While Splinter took care of the next wave, Rowan looked over at the boys to make sure they were safe. Her eyes widen in horror when she caught sight of the robots chewing through the support beams. Yelling to be heard over the noise, she motioned wildly for them to stop their advance towards her and Splinter.

"Boys!" she screamed when cracks formed on the ceiling, "Stay back! Stay over there!" Seeing the cracks himself, Splinter pulled both of them back farther. Raph, however, refused to listen to her warning. He rushed forwards, knocking over more robots in the process.

"Raph! Stay back!" Rowan screamed again. Hearing her, Leo yanked his brother back just as the ceiling gave way.

Rowan and Splinter both dove for the ground and managed to avoid the worst of the falling debris. Neither of them was able to block the piece of rubble that fell on Rowan and smashed her head against the floor.

* * *

Dust covered everything in the room, including Splinter. Using his walking stick to help himself to his feet, he dusted off his robes, grumbling to himself about how hard it is to get dirt out of his fur. Looking around, he called out for his friend.

"Rowan? Are you okay?" When she didn't reply immediately, he began to worry. He began poking around the area he saw her dive for. It took a few minute before he finally found her, and when he did, his blood ran cold.

Rowan was lying face down on the floor; a piece of rubble covering the upper part of her shoulders and head. She wasn't moving.

Heaving the rubble aside, he carefully turned her over, wincing at the amount of blood covering her face. Doing his best not to hurt her, he shook her in an attempt to wake her up. It took a while, but she finally started to come around.

"Did Donnie blow up the lab again?" she mumbled as she lifted a hand to her head. Smiling in relief, Splinter helped her sit up. She scowled when her hand came away wet with blood.

"I haven't bled this much since the night I meet you."

"How do you feel?" Splinter asked.

"My head hurts, but I don't think I have a concussion. My head would feel fuzzy and this just hurts." She didn't mention that she couldn't quite see straight, but she was pretty sure she didn't have a concussion.

No yet trusting her legs, Rowan crawled toward a broken cabinet. Pulling out a blanket, she held it to her head to slow the bleeding. Wiping her face with the rest of it she turned to Splinter.

"How bad does it look?" Now that blood wasn't covering her entire face, Splinter could see the three inch gash along her hair line.

"Not as bad as I thought. Donatello will have to look at it." He told her firmly. Sighing, she ripped the blanket so she could make a temporary bandage for her head.

"I know." She said tiredly, "Just don't tell him yet. They don't need to be worrying about me more than they probably already are."

A ringing from Splinter's robe distracted her as she wrapped more bandages around her head. Sitting on his knees, Splinter pulled out the shell phone Donatello had made for him. Taking it out, he frowned at the thing. He was never one to use technology, and there was never any reason to use the phone before. He had no idea how to answer it.

When the shell phone opened up, he began pressing buttons.

"Which button do you press to answer this thing?"

* * *

Donatello gripped the phone tightly with worry as it rang. "Come on Master Splinter, pick up." He pleaded.

"_Which button do you press to answer this thing?"_ The sound of buttons getting pressed came through the phone. _"Hello? Is this thing even on?"_

"Master Splinter!" Leo exclaimed in relief as he snatched the phone from Donnie. Pressing speaker, all four of them grinned at their father's attempt to work the phone. "Master Splinter, are you all right? Is mom okay?"

"_Hello?"_ Splinter said louder this time. _"Stupid device…" _he grumbled through the phone.

"N-no… Master Splinter you don't need to… It's okay. You already… Master Splinter." Leo said in exasperation, hoping to catch his attention. "Master Splinter, you don't have to press anything. You already picked up."

"_Leonardo, whatever those mechanical menaces are, they managed to eat through the support structure of our home. We must leave immediately. Meet us at the old drainage junction on South Point." _Splinter commanded.

"Yes Master Splinter. Is mom okay?" They could hear shuffling before their mother's voice came through the phone.

"_Leo."_

"Are you okay mom?"

"_I'm in one piece." _She answered. _"Are you and you brothers okay?"_ Worry was evident in her voice.

"We're fine mom."

"_Good. Are you on speaker?"_

"Yes."

"_Raphael!" _she said sharply, making Raph flinch. The others snickered at their brother, though quietly enough to not draw their mother's wrath. _"When I tell you to do something, you listen. You don't ignore me. Is that understood? You were nearly crushed."_

"Yes ma'am." He mumbled into the phone. They heard their mom sigh before she continued.

"_Alright. All of you stay as safe as you can. See you all at the drainage junction. Love you."_

"Bye mom." They all chorused as she hung up.

* * *

After hanging up, Rowan handed to phone back to Splinter. After putting it away, he looked at her bandaged head in worry.

"Will you be okay to walk?" he asked. Using the wall, she pulled herself up.

"I don't have much of a choice. I'm too big for you to carry." Standing by herself she wobbled for a bit, and was forced to put a hand on Splinter's shoulder to balance.

"I'll be fine as long as you let me use you to stay up right. I'm not quite steady yet." She stated as they began to slowly move through the tunnels.

"The Old Drainage Junction." Splinter smiled as he looked around fondly. Both of them frowned when they didn't see any sign of the boys.

"Now where are our sons?" he inquired. Rowan just chuckled.

"You should know by now that they always find trouble. That's why I told them to be as safe as they can." Splinter agreed with her as he looked around. Seeing the floor cracking, he jerked Rowan back just as more of the robots ate through the floor.

"Where do they keep coming from?" Rowan exclaimed as she crawled backwards. Splinter was unable to answer as he kicked the robots back. Rowan was unable to do much since she couldn't yet stand up on her own, leaving Splinter to fight them off himself. As he knocked another set away, the ground began to shake. Before they could react, the ground collapsed and they were falling.

They ended up falling into a tunnel and rolling the rest of the way down. Splinter managed to land on his feet. Rowan, still unbalanced, landed in a heap on the floor. With a little help, she was once again standing and using Splinter to balance. After asking her again if she was alright, they moved farther down the path, trying to find a safe place to stay for at least one night.

As they went farther down they came to a more defined opening. Looking inside, they gawked. The place was huge with several rooms branching off. Crystals hung from different spots on the walls. Turning to Splinter with a grin she asked him one question.

"Tadai ma?" He nodded in approval.

"Yes, were home."

* * *

After much protest and nearly falling, both Rowan and Splinter climbed back to the junction to wait for the boys. Splinter sat in the middle of the room while Rowan leaned against one of the pipes and was trying her best not to fall asleep. They waited for about ten minutes before the boys showed up in an armored van. Rowan gave the van a once over before deciding that it was better not to ask and closed her eyes again.

All four of the boys jumped out of the van and swarmed Splinter.

"Master Splinter! So much has happened today." Leo told him excitedly. Splinter smiled at him and patted his arm.

"Yes, for all of us. You can tell us later. For now, let's go home so Donatello can look at your mother." That brought them all up short.

"Where's mom?" Mikey asked.

Looking to where Master Splinter gestured, their eyes widened when they saw their mom. She was leaning against one of the pipe, and was from their perspective, unconscious. Blood was on her shirt and was showing through the bandage wrapped around her head. They all rushed at her, babbling and trying to get her to wake up.

"The next one who yells in my ear is grounded." She said as she opened her eyes. They all sighed in relief and Mikey wrapped her in a bear hug, until he was smacked on the head and told he might be hurting her.

They bombarded her with questions while Donatello tried to take the bandage off her head. She wouldn't let him.

"What happened?" Leo demanded. "You said you were okay on the phone."

"I said I was in once piece." She corrected. Much to their distress, she used their shoulders to haul herself up. When Leo tried to pick her up, she poked him between the eyes.

"I walked here. I can walk the rest of the way Leo."

"Mom, you really should let me take a look at your head." Donatello insisted. He would have said more, but Splinter interrupted him.

"You can look at it at home Donatello."

"But… the robot freaks trashed our pad. Remember?" Raph said softly as he stomped on the nearest dead robot. Splinter just smiled.

"I believe your mother and I have found a solution to our current housing problem." And with that, he jumped down the nearest hole in the floor. To their horror, Rowan jumped down after him before they could stop her. Not knowing what else to do, they followed.

Reaching the bottom, this time with Splinter to steady her, Rowan landed upright. The boys weren't so lucky. Once Leo landed, he was plowed into by his brothers.

"Wicked slide!" Mikey whooped as he bounced off his brothers. After untangling themselves, the four of them had to rush to catch up to their parents. Not even bothering to ask, Raph picked Rowan up and proceeded to carry her. She protested for a few minutes before giving in and leaning the non-injured side of her head on his shoulder.

"No offense sensei, but this place doesn't seem so amazing." Mikey said as he looked around. Splinter gave him a look that clearly said _I know something that you don't_.

"Look with your heart Michelangelo, not your eyes." Splinter instructed, lifting a finger towards his son. Despite his dislike for technology, Splinter wished he had a camera when the boys saw the lair they had found.

"Wow!" Mikey laughed as he began running around; exploring all the rooms he could get into.

"I could really tune this place up!" Donnie grinned, taking a good look around. After forcing him to put her down, Rowan shooed Raph, Donnie, and Leo away to explore their new home.

"This room here!" Mikey declared as he jumped to the top floor. "Mine." Flipping down a level, he landed next to Donnie, who frowned at him. "Where you're standing, also mine!"

"You see my sons? Change is good." Splinter stated, drawing the attention of his sons.

"We couldn't agree more Sensei." Leo said grinning. Neither he, nor his brothers noticed the mischievous smile Splinter sent to Rowan.

"Good. So let's see you boys clean up for a change. This place is a mess." Splinter ordered while the boys groaned in protest.

While the boys started cleaning, Splinter moved to sit by Rowan.

"You know," he began. "They're not going to let you do anything except sit for the next few weeks." Rowan scowled at the floor.

"They over react. I'll rest for a day or two then help with the cleaning." Splinter only chuckled as he moved to explore more of their new home.

"Good luck with that."


	3. A Better Mouse Trap

**Chapter 3: A Better Mousetrap**

It had been three days since they had moved into their new home and Rowan hadn't gotten a moments peace. She was about to lose her mind.

After Donatello had taken care of the three inch gash on her head and confirmed that she did not in fact have a concussion, he gave her a list of things she could and couldn't do. Meaning, it was a list of things she was forbidden from doing.

She was forbidden from helping clean and set up the new lair. She was forbidden from cooking. She was forbidden from lifting anything more than a pound. She was forbidden from staying up later than six. She was forbidden from getting off the couch for more than three minutes at a time. She was forbidden from getting up too quickly. She was forbidden from eating anything to heavy. She was forbidden from breathing too deeply in case she got a head rush and passed out.

With that firmly stated, Donnie and his brothers made sure to enforce it. Every time she moved one of them would be next to her asking if she was okay or telling her not to push herself. She needed to rest. They hadn't left her alone once.

And Splinter, being the 'wise' rat he is, just sat there in her line of sight, laughing, while their sons all but tied her to the couch. She knew her sons meant well, but if they so much as tried to get her to take another nap, she was going to hang them by their feet and use them as piñatas.

So while she fumed on the couch, the boys and Splinter put the last touches on their new home. The boys had taken rooms on the second floor, while she and Splinter's rooms were ground level. Rowan scowled at the floor. She hadn't even gotten to set up her own room.

While she thought of revenge, Mikey set the fourteenth TV on the already impressive stack he had. He gave the stack a smug look before he started messing with the wires that would get them to work. Above him, Donnie paused in the process of blowtorching a pipe.

"What's the matter Mikey? Can't decide what to watch?" he asked teasingly. Ignoring his older brother, Mikey set up the last of the cables that needed to be plugged in.

"I need more power Capitan." He quoted. "The turtle cave must be set for maximum entertainment potential."

Rowan looked warily at all the TV's Mikey had set up. Except for Donnie, none of her sons had exceptional luck with electronics the first time around. Leo and Raph still managed to blow up the microwave **and** the toaster whenever they attempted to cook. God help them all if they tried to use the oven.

Contemplating whether or not she should dive behind the couch, Rowan settled for holding a pillow in front of her face and hoping for the best. When nothing happened, she looked to find her youngest grinning as he reached for the remote. She was impressed. At the least she expected a power outage. Unbeknownst to her, half of New York had gone dark.

Turning them on, Mikey fell backwards at the amount of energy coming from the TV screens. Turning them off, Mikey looked up at Rowan sheepishly from his position on the floor. She raised an eyebrow at him while Splinter chuckled from where he was patching a training dummy. Rowan eyed the dummy.

"Can I do that?" she asked, almost desperately at this point. She really needed to do **something**. Splinter just smirked.

"And risk stabbing yourself with the needle? We can't have that. The boys will worry."

_If looks could kill_ Splinter mused to himself, impressed Rowan could keep her face completely stolid and still radiate animosity. As casually as he could, he shifted to put as much distance as possible between them without revealing how much discomfort she was causing him.

"You have to sleep sometimes." She told him pleasantly, an appealing smile spreading over her face. "You have to eat."

Fearful of her implications, he set the sewing aside and hastily turned his attention towards his two sons, who were arguing over what to call their new place.

"What would you call our new digs?" Mikey asked. "The Shell-ture?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Donnie thought about it carefully. "Uh… How about, The Sewer of Solitude?"

"Terrapin Station?" Mikey countered.

"The school for gifted reptiles?" Donnie grinned.

"The Hall of Nin-Justice!"

Their rant was interrupted when couch cushions smacked into their faces. Looking over, they saw their mother heft another cushion in preparation to throw. The look on her face made them bit their tongues before they warned her about lifting heavy objects.

"How about the Nightmare of Overprotective Children? That seems to fit almost every place you four inhabit." Rowan grumbled as she heaved the last cushion at Splinter. Getting up off the couch, she stretched, sent them a look that dared them to try and stop her, before going to the kitchen to start on dinner.

Donnie, Splinter, and Mikey stood in uncomfortable silence for a while, wondering if they should risk eating that night. Rising to his feet, Splinter looked at the two of them.

"We shall call this place _Home_." He announced. Donnie and Mikey looked at each other before smiling.

"Catchy." Mikey agreed.

"Now, what is keeping Leonardo and Raphael?" Splinter wondered aloud as Donnie migrated towards the other side of the room.

"They just went to get the last of our stuff from the old lair." answered Mikey. Donnie had moved to the small work table he had set up. He was attempting to put one of the broken robots back together.

"With how the new Sewer Slider is preforming, they should be back any minute." Donnie jerked as the part he was working on sent out sparks.

With dinner in the oven, Rowan joined Splinter as he looked warily at the remains of the robot.

"Even though it is un-active," Splinter said softly. "That thing still makes me un-easy Donatello."

"This is state-of-the-art robotics sensei." The purple banded turtle explained. "I just gotta know what makes it tick."

"I'm afraid I agree with Splinter, Donnie." Rowan said, almost apologetically. "Once you get it working, what if it goes on a rampage again?" Donnie looked insulted.

"I'm capable of reprograming a robot, Mom."

"I know you are," Rowan reassured. "But I have a right to worry about something that dropped a ceiling on my head."

Looking ashamed, Donnie tried to speak, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Sewer Slider. Leaping out, Leo held up a small brown box.

"Good news Mikey, Your DVD collection survived." Twirling it on his finger, he tossed it to his younger brother.

"Awesome!" cheered Mikey. "Let's throw in something light on story and heavy on gory!"

While Mikey argued with himself over what to put in, Rowan moved to help unload the Sewer Slider. The boys didn't look happy about it, but were smart enough not to say anything or get in her way.

"Oh, I forgot." Raph said as he uncovered something from the bottom of the Slider. "Hey Mom, look what I found."

Seeing the small trunk he hefted up had Rowan smiling in delight. It had been a Mother's Day present from the boys nearly ten years ago. They had found it when they had gone scavenging with Splinter, and since they had wanted to do it themselves, it had taken them nearly two weeks to fix up. With Splinter's help, they had each carved a small turtle on top.

"You found it?" exclaimed Leo as he stalked towards Raph. "I found it."

"Did not. Ah found it." Raph growled as he poked his older brother in the chest. Narrowing his eyes, Leo tried to take the trunk away. Insults and threats were thrown back and forth as they each tried to yank the trunk from the other. Stepping forward, Rowan placed a hand on the trunk.

"If you break it," she said mildly. "You're both grounded till you're thirty."

When they froze, she smiled at them and kissed them both on the cheek.

"Thank you both for going back to get our stuff." Rowan thanked as she looked towards the pile they had brought back. "Or at least what's left of it. Now give me the trunk."

Glancing at each other, they both relaxed as they handed the trunk to their mother. Setting it down, Rowan opened it to reveal several journals, photo albums, and other mementos from the boy's childhood. Inside was also a necklace with a small jade turtle hanging from an amber bead. After putting it back on, she stroked it lovingly. It had also been a gift from the boys and she never felt right without it. She very rarely, if ever, took it off.

"Guys!" Donatello yelled, drawing everyone's attention as he motioned for us to gather around the TV. "You have to see this."

They gathered around in time to see a man in a lab coat introduce himself as Baxter Stockman, and claim to have found a solution to the cities ever growing rat problem. Rowan glanced sympathetically at Splinter before looking back at the TV.

"_Ladies and gentleman, I give you the ultimate expression of rodent termination technology. The StockTronic Mouser."_

The boys gasped at the all too familiar robot that was currently displayed on the TV screen.

"I can't believe the famous Baxter Stockman would try to pass off this killer robot as a good thing." Donnie said in dejected bewilderment. With a growl, Raph whipped out his Sai and slammed it into one of the TVs.

"I say we head over to StockTronics and kick some serious shell." He ground out between clinched teeth. Before Raph could get very far, Splinter blocked his path.

"Absolutely not." He commanded as he hit Raphael on the head with his walking stick. "Your last venture to the surface was a disaster." He reminded them. "You cannot afford to be seen by anymore humans."

Reluctantly, the boys looked at their feet and nodded. They watched the rest of the show grimly as the lab assistant April O'Neil let rats loose in the maze. Rowan turned it off when the rats began to get devoured.

"…Well, now we know who our house crasher is." Leo folded his arms.

"And we're doing nothing about it." Raph grumbled darkly. The others said nothing as they moved off towards the practice area. After some hesitation, Raph moved to join them.

* * *

Rowan watched her sons train from the kitchen doorway. Donnie, then Leo, then Mikey, then Raph attacked Splinter and were beaten back. None of them were really focusing on the training session. Every now and then she caught one of them looking towards the remains of the robotic mouser.

When the oven beeped, she went through the motions of preparing dinner, her thoughts were elsewhere. The boys were only fifteen, and had never faced the loss of a home before now. They had never faced something that caused them true fear. Now, however mildly, it haunted their minds.

Rowan wondered now if she shouldn't have sheltered them so much. Splinter had warned the boys of the dangers of the surface, but she had never told them of the devastation that came with them. She had never told them what it's like to lose a home and family. Never let them know what pain other humans could cause to each other. She wondered if she had made the wrong choice.

Restless, Rowan moved back to the doorway to watch her sons train. She had never told them why she had been in the sewers all those years ago. She hadn't told them anything about her past.

She saw Splinter forbid them from going to the surface before retiring to his room. Michelangelo parroted his decree and jumped when Splinter caught him. She saw them laugh.

That's what she had wanted to protect. The smiles that came so easily, the light in their eyes. All the secrets her and Splinter have kept wouldn't stay in the dark for long now, and the boys would be angry, even hurt when they were brought to light. It was something that her and Splinter would have to accept as a consequence of the choices they made. The four little turtles that had latched onto her legs and hair had been hers. Her sons. Her babies. She protected them the way she thought best.

Tears welled in her eyes, knowing that her babies were growing up and she couldn't stop it. Knowing she wouldn't be able to protect them for much longer. The mousers were just the beginning, she believed enough in destiny and fate to understand that. The boys would soon find their own destinies and meet their fates. It terrified her.

Drying her eyes, she called the boys to the table for dinner.

* * *

After dinner, Mikey went straight to the TV. With everything cleaned up, Rowan decided to join him.

"We don't need no stinkin' surface world." He said smugly. "We got late movies, top ten video count down, BMX Bird highlights… some really weird Korean soap opera?"

Rowan laughed at the face her youngest made when he tried to read the subtitles along the bottom of the screen. After about a minute he screamed, "My eyes!" and threw himself across her lap to bury his face into the cushions. Used to these sudden outburst, Rowan merely moved him enough so she could easily move her arms and settled back to watch.

"If your eyes still work, why don't you give me a hand with these mouser part?" Donatello asked as he worked with a blow torch. "If I can get one working, we can trace it back to its' source and find out what Stockman's really up to."

"So you plan on going after Stockman?" Rowan asked conversationally, and interested smile on her face. Donnie nearly agreed with her before he caught himself and started stuttering an explanation.

"No, I just… we wouldn't… We wouldn't go after them." Donnie tried to explain frantically. "We would just follow the mouser to know where they're put into the sewer. So we can…block them." He finished lamely. Rowan slowly nodded her head, before nudging Mikey off of her.

"I'm going to bed now." She explained when Mikey wined that he was comfortable. Kissing him on the head, she rose to make the rounds to each of her sons.

"Don't stay up to late." She warned as she disappeared into her room. "You all have training with Splinter in the morning. _Oyasumi_."

Raph stretched and gave a yawn. "I'm beat. I'm gonna rack."

Leo frowned. "When does Raph turn in so early?"

* * *

"Guy!" Donnie yelled quietly to his fighting brothers, causing Raph and Leo to pause. "I got one of the mousers working."

"Come on!" Mikey hollered as he chased after the mouser with Donnie in hot pursuit. "The little guy's faster than he looks."

"So…" Raph asked Leo. "Are you just going to let that mouser roam free?"

Leo glared at his brother a moment before letting him up. "Master Splinter is soo going to kill us." He grumbled to himself as he and Raph chased after their younger brothers.

Once they were out of sight, Rowan stepped out of her spot in the shadows and sighed. She knew they would go after Stockman. At least one of them had tried to listen to Splinter.

She gave some thought to following them, but decided against it. She needed at least one more day of rest before she attempted anything stunt defying, and she was certain that was exactly what her sons were going to be doing.

Heading back inside the lair, she set a kettle on for tea. If she was going to wait for who knows how long, she might as well relax.

After she had settled down on the couch for a few minutes, Splinter joined her. Without saying a word, she gave him the extra cup and poured him tea.

"You knew they were leaving?" he asked as he blew on his tea to cool it. Rowan nodded.

"Yes. I watched them go."

"You didn't stop them?" he asked angrily. Rowan didn't look up from her cup.

"We couldn't have stopped them for long. You know this as well as I do." She commented. They both settled into a comfortable silence while they drank their tea. Splinter was the first one to speak.

"I'm surprised you didn't follow them." Rowan laughed.

"You and me both." She told him with amusement. "But I know my limits. I need at least one more day to rest before I do anything to do with ninjitsu. Besides," she mused. "I don't think I'm quite ready to let them know that I'm better trained in the way ninjitsu that they are."

Splinter eyed her quizzically. "They'll find out eventually." He warned her.

"Oh, I know." She agreed. "So until they go into 'Lock Mom Up To Keep Her Safe' mode, I'm going to enjoy the relative peace while I can."

Seeing they were both done, she refilled their cups. When she looked back up, her jade green eyes were laughing.

"When they get back, do I ground them or do you hit them repeatedly with your stick?"


End file.
